For Jews in Canada, the issue of consuming Kosher cannabis, in line with Jewish religious law, was a big one until last month…
Jews may only make up 1.5 percent of the Canadian population, but thousands could have felt limited as their cannabis products were not certified ‘Kosher’ by a relevant authority.
That’s where the Hydropothecary Corporation comes in. Being Quebec’s only licensed cannabis producer, they are also the first licensed producer to offer kosher-certified cannabis to Canadians. The company were thrilled to announce that they had received full Kosher certification from the Ottawa Vaad HaKashrut, who oversee matters pertaining to Kashrut in Jewish law.
In order to qualify as Kosher, three products have been certified, in terms of materials used and cleaning procedures. Those products are Decarb, Elixir and H2, which are now all Kosher.
The CEO of the company, Sebastien St-Louis, told reporters that the company decided to go down the Kosher route in order to “give a breadth of products to consumers,” adding that, “What’s important for us is to [create] interesting products for segments of the population that are perhaps underserved. There’s about 1.5 percent of the Canadian population that’s Jewish and those consumers, if they’re choosing medical cannabis, certainly want a kosher product that didn’t exist before.”
The Kosher certification also adds an extra dimension of quality control to the company, which poises them smartly in a market which will no doubt be highly regulated in time. Even the Rabbi from the Vaad, Levy Teitlebaum, spoke in glowing terms about the new venture, stating, “Kosher certification is something that is relied upon by many people, including vegans, vegetarians and people who are careful about what they consume, as a symbol of trust. What this certification shows is the value placed on proper etiquette for kosher and for being able to care for people.”
There is little doubt that other cannabis cultivators and innovators will be interested on making their facility Kosher-compliant, as that will, they hope, ensure the very highest levels of quality, and the broadest consumer base.
